4. Andrew Marks - The Modern Non-Executive Director: Why Growth Companies Need Board Level Technology Expertise

Non-executive directors have traditionally been associated with governance and oversight. But in today’s technology-driven business environment—particularly within private equity-backed companies—the role is evolving rapidly.

In this episode of the Shift Happens podcast, Thorpe & Partners speaks with Andrew Marks, a board-level technology leader who now works with portfolio companies at Lloyds Development Capital (LDC).

LDC invests in high-growth mid-market businesses across the UK, supporting more than 90 portfolio companies. In that role, Andrew works closely with leadership teams to help organisations evolve their technology capabilities as they scale.

The conversation explores how the role of the non-executive director (NED) is changing—particularly for companies navigating growth, transformation and exit planning.

Andrew challenges the common perception that NEDs simply attend board meetings and provide high-level advice. In reality, effective NEDs play a far more active role in supporting leadership teams.

He describes the key value of a NED as bringing “scale and skills”—experience gained in larger or more complex organisations that helps leadership teams navigate their next stage of growth.

The discussion covers:

• Why technology-literate NEDs are increasingly in demand

• When companies should bring a NED onto the board

• The difference between advisors, interim leaders, fractional executives and NEDs

• How NEDs contribute to removing organisational friction and accelerating change

• How success should be measured for non-executive directors

For growth companies—particularly those backed by private equity—bringing in the right external perspective can be critical. The right NED can help leadership teams anticipate the challenges of scale, make better strategic technology decisions, and accelerate the journey to the next stage of growth.